Car-coupling



(No Model.) J 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. O. MILLER.

\ GAR GOUPLING. No. 425,445. v Patented Apr. '15, 1890.-

1 M adzdzer 551 mtoweqo (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 P. G. MILLER.

I GAR COUPLING.

No. 425,445. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

avvum vtoz 'E'mnk CJZiZZer showing them as coupled together.

FFICEo PATENT FRANK C. MILLER, OF BELVIDERE, NElV JERSEY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,445, dated April 15, 1890. Application filed December 13, 1889. fierial No. 333,591. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK O. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belvidere, in the county of lVarren and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Car-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-couplers; and it consists in certain novel features of construction hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one draw-head. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view with one of the side bars extended. Fig. 4 is a longi tudinal vertical section of two draw-heads, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal horizontal section of two drawheads in the same position of parts as shown in Fig. 4. Fig.6 is a plan view of one of my improved draw-heads with one of the side bars extended, showing the same as used in connection with the Janney coupling. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the liftingarin detached. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of two of my improved car-couplings con nected by the hooks Q.

, Referring by letter to the said drawings, C represents the body of the car, having depending lugs 0, provided with apertures through which draw-bar P slides horizontally. A coiled spring S surrounds the body of this draw-bar and abuts at its ends against the inner faces of the lugs 0. Midway between these lugs a collar G is secured upon said draw-bar, and said collar is connected to the coiled spring, whereby the said bar is permitted to have a certain longitudinal buffer motion within the apertures in the lugs c in the ordinary and well-known manner.

The forward end of the draw-bar P is provided with a T-head T, which engages loosely in a vertical slot of similar cross section formed in the rear end of the draw-head D, whereby when the latter is dropped from its normal position it will be disengaged from the T-head of the draw-bar and may be bodily removed from the car. It will be understood,

of course, that suitable supports, as X, are provided for maintaining the draw-bar in its normal position,yet permitting the longitudinal play of the same, which such draw-bars must necessarily have.

The draw-head D is provided in its body near its forward end with an opening therethrough, with a large vertical slot A extending from the top to the bottom thereof, and in this slot, at its rear end, on a fixed transverse pivot Z, I mount the link L, the construction of which will be hereinafter more fully described. The said draw head D tapers gradually toward its forward end, as shown in Fig. 2, and near the outer sides of the same I mount the side bars I, these bars being guided in suitable grooves or recesses in the draw-head or held in position by any suitable means, and the operation of which will be hereinafter described. On the upper face of this draw-head, and guided between suitable guides, is mounted a guide-plate G, the use of whichwill be hereinafter set forth. The draw-head is also provided with other accessories and details of construction, which, however, are incident to the other elements of my car-coupling. A

The link L, which is pivoted at its rear end on the transverse pivot Z, is provided at its front end with an arrow-head V, having a small opening u a short distance in rear thereof for the purpose of connecting it by a pin with a coupling of the ordinary character, as will be understood. Pivoted at a point about midway of its length is a lifting-arm F, as shown more clearly in Fig. 7, and to the upper end of its lifting-arm are pivoted or hinged laterally-opening wings XV, held normally distended by small coiled or other springs inserted between them and the body of the lifting-arm. Just below the lower edges of these wings a transverse pin f is rigidly fixed inthe body of the liftingarm and projects to the opposite sides thereof a distance greater than the thickness of the wings when they are pressed close against the sides of the arm. Secured to a ring '1 in the free end of this lifting-arm is a cord or chain R, which passes up through the slot A in the body of the draw-head and is secured to the platform or to the body of the car at any suitable point.

The side bars I are preferably provided with slots 2' at their rear ends embracing said pin Z, and through which bolts J are passed into the body of the draw-head,thereby securing them thereto, although they may rear ends of the side bars are withdrawn and.

be detachably secured to said draw-head in any other preferred manner. Pivoted in the front ends of these side bars on vertical pivots q are the hooks Q, which are pressed normally outward and apart by springs 71, secured to the outer faces of the side bars and bearing upon the inner portions of the bodies of the hooks, all as seen in Fig. 5.

The side bars I, near their forward ends on their inner edges, are provided with ears I, having perforatins, and through these perforations and through registering perforations in the body of the draw-head and on either side of the central vertical slot therein locking-pins O are adapted to be passed. The bodies of these pins 0 serve as an additional locking means between the side bars I and the draw-head, and when in place they also serve to lock the hooks Q in their hooked or operative position, as shown in Fig. 5. If now the bolts J through the slots 6 in the the pins 0 are also lifted, these side bars will be free to move forward a distance equal to the length of the slots '5, when the rear ends of said slots will abut against the pin Z and further outward movement of the side bars will be prevented. The pins 0 can then be reinserted in the apertures in the ears I, to hold the hooks Q in their normal position, and this construction is shown in Fig. 3. It

' will thus be observed that either one or both of the hooks Q, when the side bars I are in their rearmost position, can be locked to en-,

as shown in Fig. 6, or the link L may be coupled by an ordinary pin through the hole '0 with the ordinary couplings now in use.

The guide-plateG, hereinbefore referred to, is provided with a longitudinal slot g open at its front end, and this slot is slightly wider than the combined thickness of the two wings W and the body of the lifting-arm F when compressed, but is narrower than the length of the transverse pin f, whereby when the car R is drawn upon the lifting-arm F, and with it the link L will be raised, the wingslV will be compressed by the sides of said slot and will pass through the same, the pin f will strike the under side of the guide-plate and limit the upward movement of the liftingarm, and the wings IV will spring apart and rest upon the upper face of the guide-plate,

thereby retaining the link in elevated position, as shown at the right-hand end of Fig. 4.

The guide-plate G has a rearwardly-extending shank h, which plays in an apertured care on the upper side of the draw-head, and between the front face of this ear and the rear edge of the plate G a coiled spring H surrounds said shank h, thereby holding the plate G normally in its forward position and in engagement with the wings W to support the link L. A cord or chain R is led from an eye E in the rear end of this shank and may be drawn. upon to pull theguide-plate G from beneath the wings W, thereby permitting the lifting-arm F, and with it the link L, to fall to the position shown at the left hand of .Fig. 4.

\Vith the above construction the operation of my device will be substantially as follows:

WVhen it is desired to connect the couplings of two of my improved draw-heads by means of the link L on one and the hooks Q on the other, one of the links L is released and allowed to fall, as shown at the left hand of Fig. 4,

the right hand of said figure. being then in the position shown, the headV 'while the other is brought up and locked in that position by the wings W, as shown at- The hooks-Q enters between them and turns them on'their pivots to the position shown in dotted :lines at the left of Fig. 5, when the head will pass between the hooks and the springs 71 will return the latter to their normal positions." It

will be understood, of course, that either link can be. connected with the hooks on the other draw-head, as preferred. When it is desired to release or uncouple the devices so connected, there are two ways in which it can be accomplished. In one I can draw upon the cord R, (shown at the right of Fig. 4,) and thereby release the plate Gr from engagement with the wings W and permit the coupled link L to turn bodily around its pivot Z out of engagement with the hooks Q in the other draw-head, its free end passing out of the lower end of the vertical slot A, as will be understood. If, however, the tension of fhe couplings be considerable, so that the head I V of the link is drawn tightly against the. hooks Q and the body of the link will notfall by its own weight, then it is sometimes desirable to disengage the hooks Q from the link instead of the link from the hooks. This I accomplish by drawing the pins 0 upward (by the cords R if such be employed) untilopposite couplings is distended in the man- Y ner above described and as is illustrated in Fig. 3. The slight taper which-the drawheads have toward their forward ends will bring such hooks nearly into the central longitudinal line of' the draw-heads when the side bars I are extended, all as shown in Fig. 8. The cars being then brought together the IIO beveled outer faces of the hooks meet each other, and each hook is turned about to the position shown in dotted lines at the left of Fig. 5, when. their faces will clear each other and the hooks will automatically engage, all as will be clearly understood.

To disconnect the couplings when joined, as just above described, one or both of the pins 0 are withdrawn, when one or both of the hooks will open, as shown in dotted lines at the right hand of Fig. 5, and the pair will be disconnected. The extended side bars I are then returned to their normal positions and the pins 0 are passed downwardly through the registering holes in the draw-head D and in the ears I, and the side bars are thus locked in place, although this locking may be re-en forced and supplemented by the bolts J engaging the slot t', as above described.

Then it is desired to connect one of my draw-heads with a. draw'head having the ordinary Janney coupling, one of the side bars I is distended and the hook Q at the free end thereof permitted to engage the Janney coupling, substantially in the manner shown in Fig. 6, and this engagement can be broken and the parts disconnected by removing the pin 0.

The manner in which the link L may be connected with the pin of an ordinary coupling by passing saidpin through the hole need not be described.

It will thus be seen that I can connect drawheads of my improved construction with each ney coupling or with any other coupling employing the ordinary side hook construction, and if the hook be a left-hand or a right-hand rope it makes no difference, and also that I can connect mylink withany of the ordinary forms of car-couplings where vertical pins are employed. The buffer arrangement on the draw-bar P is entirely in the rear of the drawhead 1), and still it is so complete and effective that any longitudinal motion of the drawhead is cushioned thereby. The three cords or chains require no normal tension to hold any part in an operative position, and for this reason they may be led upward and attached to the platform or to the body of the car, andthe longitudinal reciprocation or the lateral play of the d raw-bar will not cause accident by exerting a tension on any of these cords.

hen it is desired to remove the coupler, the draw-head D is disengaged from its ordinary supports (such as the Wire loops X, for instance) and its rear end is depressed until the T-slot at that point disengages the T- head T of the draw-bar P.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with one draw-head having a vertical slot, a link pivoted therein on a transverse pin, said link having an arrow-shaped head, a lifting-bar pivoted to said link, spring-actuated Wings at pivoted to said link, wings pivoted to the upper end of said lifting-bar, springs for pressing said wings normallyoutward, and a stop in the body of said lifting-bar below the lower edges of said wings, and with a slotted guideplate on the upper side of said draw-head, a spring'for pressing said guide-plate normally in position to engage said wings, means for drawing said guide-plate out of this position to allow the lifting-bar and link to fall, and means for raising said liftingbar and link, of another draw=head having vertical rearwardly-facing ledges on either side of a vertical slot, said slot being open at its lower end, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with one draw-head carrying a link having an arrow-shaped head, of another draw-head,

hooks thereon standing normally out of engagement with said arrow-head, pins for holding said hooks in operative position,and springs for. pressing them against said'pins and throwing them out of operative position when the pins are removed, as set forth.

4. i In a car-coupling, the combination, with one draw-head and a link pivoted therein on a transverse pin, said link having an arrowshaped head, of another draw-head provided with a vertical slot open at its bottom, hooks pivoted-in the sides of said slot and adapted to engage said arrow-shaped head, and the means, substantially as described, for disengaging said link from said hooks by dropping it out'from between them or of disengaging said hooks from said link byturning them in a horizontal plane, as set forth.

5. In acar-coupling, the combination, with one draw-head and a link therein, said link having an arrow-shaped head, of another draw-head having a vertical slot, hooks pivoted at the sides thereof, springs for pressing said hooks normally out of engagement with said arrow-head, and pins engaging the body of said draw-head and adapted to be withdrawn therefrom, said pins when in position holding said hooks in engagement with said arrow-head, as set forth.

6. In a car-coupling, the combinatiom'with a draw-head tapering laterally toward its forward end, of side bars sliding in the tapered sides of said draw-head, means, substantially' as described, for locking said bars in retracted or distended position, andhooks at the forward end of said side bars, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In acar-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head tapering laterally toward its forward end, of side bars sliding in the tapered sides thereof, said side bars having apertured ears and said draw-head having holes registering with said apertures when the side bars are retracted, pins engaging said holes and apertures to retain said side bars in retracted position, and hooks pivoted to the free ends of said sidebars, their bodies resting against said pins when the hooks stand in operative positions, as set forth.

8. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head tapering laterally toward its forward end and a link in said draw-head engaged by a lateral pin, of side bars sliding in the tapered sides of said draw-head and provided at their rear ends with slots engaging said pin, bolts removably inserted in the sides of said draw-head and through said slots in rear of said pin, and hooks carried by the free ends of said side bars, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head tapering laterally toward its forward end and provided at suitable points with vertical holes and a link in said drawhead engaged by a lateral pin, of side bars sliding in the tapered sides of said draw-head, said side bars having slots near their rear ends loosely engaging said pin and having apertured ears near their forward ends adapted to register with said holes when the side bars are in a retracted position, bolts removably inserted in the sides of said draw-head and through said slots in rear of said pin, hooks mounted on vertical pivots in the free ends of said side bars, springs for pressing said hooks normally out of operative position, and vertical pins engaging said registering holes and apertured ears and retaining the hooks in operative position, as set forth.

10. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head having side grooves about midway of its vertical height and provided at aligned holes, springs pressing the bodies of said hooks across-the upper faces of said ears.

and into the path of the vertical holes, vertical pins removably inserted in said vertical holes and adapted when in position to hold said hooks out of the line thereof, and means for withdrawing said pins, as and for the purpose set forth.

11. In a car-coupling, the combination, with one draw-head having a vertical slot, a link pivoted therein on a transverse pin, said link having an arrow-shaped head, a lifting-bar pivoted to said link, an expansible head at the upper end of said lifting-bar, and with a guide-plate on the upper side of said drawhead, said guide-plate having a forwardlyopeniug slot and a rearwardly extending shank, an apertured ear looselyengaging said shank, a spring surrounding said shank .between the body and the ear, guides for holding said plate in position, and means for retracting said slotted plate and drawing it from beneath said expansible head of the lifting-bar, of another draw-head having vertical rearwardly-facing ledges on either side of the vertical slot, said slot being open at its lower end, as and for the purpose set forth.

12. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head having a T shaped slot in its rear end open at its upper and lower extremity and removable means for supporting said draw-head, of the draw-bar having a T-shaped head loosely engaging said slot and the twoway buffer-springs connected with said drawba'r, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK MILLER.

\Vitnesses:

THEO. P. HoPLER, 13. F. I-IowE 

